Copyright © 1999 by Sergei V. Rjabchikov. All Rights Reserved.

THE INTERPRETATION OF A TEXT FROM POLOTSK

by Sergei V. Rjabchikov

Let us examine the text inscribed on a die which was discovered in the ancient Russian town Polotsk and was dated to the beginning of the 13th c. A.D. (Melnikova, Sedova and Shtykhov 1983: 188, figure 3a, b) (see figure 1):

Figure 1.

This text is written by the ancient Slavonic alphabet, so-called cherty i rezy (Rjabchikov 1998a: 5-6; 1998b: 23). I read the record vari 'come in first; warn!', cf. Old Church Slavonic varyati 'to forewarn; to warn; to come in first; in a hurry; suddenly'.

REFERENCES

Melnikova, E.A., M.V. Sedova and G.V. Shtykhov, 1983. Novye nakhodki skandinavskikh runicheskikh nadpisey na terrytorii SSSR. In: V.T. Pashuto (ed.) Drevneyshie gosudarstva na territorii SSSR. Materialy i issledovaniya: 1981 god. Moscow: Nauka, pp. 182-8.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1998a. Drevnie texty slavyan i adygov. Krasnodar: Torgovo-promyshlennaya palata Krasnodarskogo kraya.

Rjabchikov, S.V., 1998b. Tainstvennaya Tmutarakan'. Krasnodar: Torgovo-promyshlennaya palata Krasnodarskogo kraya.

Published 10 November 1999.

Sergei V. Rjabchikov, Krasnodar, RUSSIA.

How to cite the articles of "THE SLAVONIC ANTIQUITY" Home Page in printed articles: like articles. Maintain the link if citing in the World Wide Web. Notice italics on the homepage name:

Rjabchikov, Sergei V., 1999. The Interpretation of a Text from Polotsk. "THE SLAVONIC ANTIQUITY" Home Page (http://slavonicweb.chat.ru/sl10.htm).

"THE SLAVONIC ANTIQUITY" Home Page

Thanks for visiting.

E-mail me here at srjabchikov@hotmail.com

Return to Top of Home Page